Black Roses
by HippieCellist95
Summary: A deadly virus has hit Emerald City, and life has come to an end. Now all who is left standing is a certain Shadow and a certain Rose...
1. Prologue

_Shadow_

I licked off the fresh blood that covered my blade and smiled. Those low and foul creatures thought that they could stand a chance against me? No. Instead, their very lives were splashed on my hands and taken away from them, the very thought gave me...joy. For years, I had the feeling of loathing against humans for so long that I became numb to it and it drove me mad. How could they boast about how "happy" life is when others are suffering? How could they smile, when others are shedding tears for the pain that they feel? None of it had any logic that I could understand. I stood up and looked at the corpse that now stunk with freshly shed blood, and slid my Katana back into the holster.

My eyes wandered around the foggy and still park of Emerald City, as did my mind. Just a few hours ago, it was full of life and the "pursuit of happiness", I think that they called it. I began to walk towards the old and abandoned theme park, the eeriness was somewhat soothing to me compared to the screams that filled the air. Everyone, screaming, running, hoping that they could escape this disaster. Nobody succeeded. In fact, I felt like I was the only one left in this, now deserted, city.

Left to fight whatever the hell was out there...


	2. One Year

_Amy_

My hand clamped onto the gash that was on my arm, I limped through the fog that covered the city in a thick haze. I let out a whimper as my knee throbbed with pain every time my foot hit the ground. This couldn't have been happening, not when things started to go perfectly for me. Hot tears started to run down my face and they blurred my vision, but I kept limping down the cold and damp streets of Emerald City. The smell of rotting flesh and smoke filled the air and a wave of nausea come over me causing acid to rise in my throat. I stopped by a tree and wretched forward, I fell to my knees and sobbed.

Sonic...

* * *

><p>Just hours before, he and I were going to celebrate our one-year anniversary that day. He was going to take me to the park, then to dinner and then to the movies. It was going to be nothing but perfect. I was in my room and Rouge was sitting on my bed, for two hours, I had tried on my entire wardrobe. Nothing clicked just yet. Rouge got up, "Ames...just pick something."<p>

I looked in the mirror at my outfit and sighed, "I feel like this isn't it either."

"Look," She grabbed my shoulders and turned me around, "it won't be perfect. He'll love the way you look, regardless of what you wear."

"He will?"

She scoffed, "Sonic loves you. More than anything. Of course he will." She turned me back towards the mirror, "You look beautiful, really."

For once, in a couple of hours, I looked at myself. I had on a black cardigan that had three-quarter sleeves on it, making my shoulders look slim. Under it was a red shirt that had a swirl pattern coming up from the side to my collar, which hugged my waist. And, to finish it off, I had on jean shorts and my favorite pair of boots that Rouge had gotten for me two weeks before. I looked surprisingly...sexy. I never had realized how much dark colors went with my skin tone.

"You're right..." I smiled slightly. This was the first time I actually felt...pretty.

Rouge smiled, "Now go and have a good time. If you need anything, call me, alright?" She hugged me tight.

"I will. Thank you." I pulled away.

"Anytime. Oh, and, be safe." She smirked and left before I could say anything.

I took one last look in the mirror and sighed, as butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I'd dated Sonic for a year and I had still gotten nervous around him. That was a good thing, it meant, well, I really loved him. Suddenly my phone buzzed on my pillow, it was him. I picked it up with sweaty hands and answered it, "Hello?" My voice accidentally cracked, I smacked a hand over my mouth.

He chuckled, "You alright?"

I laughed nervously, "Yeah, just fine. Sorry. What's up?"

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, I am."

"Look outside." He said. My stomach dropped, I slowly peered outside and gasped. There he was, with his winning smile, waiting for me. He was leaning against his car and he had a bouquet of pink roses in his hand, I couldn't breathe. I motioned for him to come to the door, I rushed down and opened it. Before he had a chance to say anything, I kissed him with all of the force that I had and wrapped my arms around his neck. His arms slid around my waist, he laughed against my lips, "Happy anniversary, Rose."

I pulled away and smiled, "Thank you." I take the roses, "I'll go put these in water and then I'll be ready to go."

He grinned, "Alright. I'll be out in the car."

I rushed upstairs and placed the flowers in a glass vase of water. I grabbed my black beanie and slid it on my head, grabbed my keys and darted down to the car. I slid in and buckled my seatbelt, I waited for the car to start up but it didn't. I looked over and Sonic was staring at me, his green eyes burned into mine. I stared back, "What?"

"You're just...amazing. I mean...I can't even comprehend how much I love you. I know that it's been only a year but, I'm just excited for what's to come, you know? God, I love you so much." He placed a hand on my cheek, I smiled and kissed it.

"I love you too, Sonic." He started up the car and held my hand tightly the entire way there, at that time it was already getting dark.

Only the night was just beginning.

Little did I know that it would soon be covered in blood...


	3. Breakout

_Amy_

After an eventful evening with Sonic, we just went to the beach and sat on the hood of his car and stared at the moon. It reflected off of the ocean and in the distance, Angel Island's silhouette sat perfectly in the middle of the glow. Sonic's arm rested around my shoulders, pulling me close to him, I cuddled on his chest and closed my eyes.

"Ames...I've been thinking about something." He mumbled.

"What's that?" I looked up.

"It's been...a year. And...are you ready...?" He blushed slightly.

"For what?" Confusion came over me and then suddenly, it clicked. That. I remembered a few months ago, that Sonic and I had talked about sex, awkwardly. I wasn't ready and he wasn't either but...now, it was different. I felt closer to him and actually wanted to.

"What we...talked about a while back."

"Oh...I've been thinking about it and...yeah I am." I sat up and stared at him.

"Really?" He moved closer to my face, I could feel his breath on my nose.

I put a hand on his, "Yes..." I closed the space between us and kissed him fiercely and before I knew it, we were in the back of his car.

He was in between my legs, his lips caressed my neck and I shuddered with pleasure, I took off his shirt and he removed mine. My hands trembled as I pulled him closer into my neck, I moaned as my legs went tighter around his waist.

Sonic pulled away, "Are you sure you're ready?"

I nodded. I kissed him, his tongue entered my mouth as he slowly started to undo my shorts. I kicked off my boots and steadily pulled down his pants, the windows began to get fog up. Sonic gave me a look and then gently went in...my back arched and I moaned in pleasure. It was as if I had been waiting for that for so long...him and I finally giving ourselves to each other. It was pure bliss and I enjoyed every minute of it, all the way to the end.

After, I laid on his chest and his hand was on my back. He kissed my forehead and stroked my hair, "You okay?"

"I'm...great. That was...perfect." I said, blushing.

He chuckled, "It was. I love you."

"I love you too." I grabbed his hand and laid my head on his chest.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the window, and screaming followed along with more banging. It abruptly stopped. I clutched onto Sonic and gasped, he held me tightly, my voice came out in a whisper, "What the hell was that?"

He began to get dressed, "I don't know, but I'll check it out..."

I grabbed his arm, "No! Please don't go out there...let's just drive away."

"Hey. Someone might be in trouble, I'll be fine, okay?" He gave me a quick peck and got out, the rush from the air outside gave me goosebumps.

I waited. And waited...and waited. I hugged myself trying to convince myself that nothing was wrong when I knew the opposite. I finally got up courage and was about to get outside of the car when suddenly, Sonic swung the door open and started up the car. His eyes were wide with fear, I climbed into the front seat, "What happened?" I was still trying to get dressed. He sped away until the beach could be seen no more.

"The—the virus. It's real. And...they...they...we have to get away from here!"

"Wait. What?" My mind wasn't comprehending any of this.

About a month ago, there was a hype that went around about this virus that was being tested on different types of animals. It was apparently the cure to Alzheimer's and cancer. They were wrong. In fact, a couple of weeks after the tests were done, they had to kill a few lions because they were about to break out and kill everyone in the city. Later, it was deemed highly contagious and could kill anyone who came in contact with it by bodily fluids. It must have gotten out of control.

I started to panic, "Where are we going?"

"Out of here before we become one of them."

* * *

><p>Sonic halted to an abrupt stop in front on my house, "Go in. Pack your stuff. I'll be out here, waiting."<p>

"Come in with me, please..." My throat became thick.

"Just go, Amy! Hurry!" He nudged me out of the door. I sprinted and fumbled with my keys to open the door. The darkness scared me and I quickly grabbed everything that I needed and threw it into a duffel bag. I rushed back outside to the car and my stomach dropped...

Sonic wasn't in the car.

My breath quickened, I screamed his name desperately, "Sonic! Sonic!" Suddenly, I heard my name in the most painful yell I had ever heard in my life.

"AMY!"

I looked to my left and right under a streetlight, there was Sonic pinned down by an infected dog. I sprinted over and kicked the dog in the jaw, a deafening crack was heard and it yelped. I grabbed Sonic's arm and took him back to the car, I set him in the driver's seat. I rushed over to the passenger seat and locked the car.

Sonic coughed and blood ran down the corner of his mouth, "Ames..." He rasped.

"Shhh. It's going to be okay!" I grabbed his face, "Stay with me. Stay with me, Sonic!"

His hand weakly traveled up to mine, "Amy...go..." He coughed again.

"What?" Tears were forming, "No! I'm not leaving you like this! I can't!"

"Please...go..."

I sobbed, "No...stay with me. I love you! Don't go...! Please..."

He retched and blood went all over his window, he started choking. Suddenly...he stopped and laid still. I sobbed even harder and hugged his head to my chest, rocking back and forth. My heart felt like it would stop at any moment and rip itself out...Sonic was gone. I couldn't breathe, I couldn't even move from where I was. I just held my boyfriend's corpse to my body and cried.

Suddenly, he twitched in my arms. I stopped crying, "Sonic...?"

He slowly rose his head from my chest and opened his eyes, they were gray and milky. He opened his mouth and let out an animal-like screech. I screamed and pushed him away, grabbing my bag. I fell out of the car and ended up falling on my ankle, a pain shot through my leg. I gained my footing and began to limp away. I heard Sonic ravage behind me, he was getting closer. Something collided into me and nailed me to the ground.

I screamed even louder as Sonic was about to sink his sharp claws into my neck...


	4. Unexpected Rendevous

_Shadow_

My feet started to feel like they were numb, I had been walking for about three hours trying to find any sign of life around the city. There wasn't any luck. Just...death everywhere. I sat on the edge of an abandoned warehouse, my legs felt as if they were going to drop from their sockets. I leaned against the wall that connected to the roof and closed my eyes, my mind began to wander from thought to thought. I began to think about Sonic for some reason and his girlfriend, Rose...I wondered if they were still alive. What did it matter? I had no respect for neither of them, but...if the time came, I would have had to save them.

For some reason, my mind decided to ponder on Amy. When I first met her, she looked at me as if I were about to kill her. It had been two months ever since she and Sonic started to date, the whole town knew. I was at the park, thinking as always, and then suddenly I heard a laugh passing by. I looked up and there she was, holding hands with him, her eyes met mine and her smile dropped. I smirked at her and her cheeks turned pink, Sonic looked at her and then at me. He glared and mumbled something in her ear, she gasped and laughed even harder. That was the first time I had ever been figuratively smacked in the face. They were nothing to me, yeah, but I couldn't shake the image of Amy staring at me. Why? Well...she was cute. _Very_ cute...

Suddenly a scream echoed from down the street, I got up and looked. My eyes went wide. It was Amy, and Sonic was on top of her...only he was. Shit. I grabbed my sword and sprinted towards them, her screams got louder and louder, "Oh, God! Please help me!" His bloody teeth kept snapping inches away from her face.

I watched her feeble attempt to keep him from clawing her face in, he was way stronger than her. I took the blade and raised it above my head, it come down on Sonic's skull with a crack. He stopped screeching and his over killed corpse fell on top of Amy, I grabbed him and threw him off of her. Her eyes stared up at me, wide in fear, and then over at Sonic. She started sobbing, and I just stood there panting.

"Please...help me." She choked.

I glared, "Why should I...?"

She grabbed onto my shirt and laid her head on my stomach, "Please...I have nobody else." She mumbled.

Remorse washed over me, but I brushed it off, "Fine. Only if you can keep up."

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She flung her arms around me and cried into my chest, I looked down and noticed that her ankle was horribly swollen.

"Can you walk?" I said quietly.

"Barely..."

I picked her up and started walking, she hugged my neck tightly and snuggled her face into my neck. I was surprised that she was warming up to me so fast, after all, I was no Sonic the Hedgehog. Her occasional sniffs brought on more and more remorse, which threw me off course. I couldn't think straight for the next mile or so until she broke the silence, "I need to pee..."

I sighed, "You can't hold it?"

"No." I sat her down, she limped over to the nearest tree and went behind it. A few minutes later, she reappeared.

"Feel better?" I said as I picked her up.

She smiled sadly, "Much..." And so began the awkward silence that followed. Luckily, she broke it again, "So, how did you find me?"

"Well, you were screaming and I happened to see you."

"I was that loud?"

"Yeah."

Silence. "I'm sorry..."

I narrowed my eyes, "Why are you sorry?"

"For being an inconvenience to you and...making you carry me."

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, "Do you think I care?" I actually did.

"No." Her voice broke, "I know that you don't. Sonic told me about you..."

My ears perked up, "He did?"

We arrived at an old junkyard that sat on the other side of downtown, there was a shack built up of shards of metal and rusted platforms. We took shelter under it, I sat her down, "Yeah. He told me you were an asshole, pretty much."

"He was right." I smirked.

She stared at me, "Was he? Or is it all just a shield?"

I snorted, "What do I have to hide?"

Amy winced as she stretched her leg out, "I don't know...you tell me." That's when I finally realized what she had on...my eyes traveled from her legs up, I couldn't look away. I had never noticed how beautiful her body was until now and for once, I envied Sonic.

"There's nothing to tell." I finally said.

She smiled, "There has to be, Shadow."

I shrugged, "I'm going to sleep. But I have to ask...how did you end up with Sonic tonight?"

Her smile dropped, she looked down, "I...we were on a date when all of this happened. It was our one-year anniversary...and suddenly, this happens." Her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Huh. One year."

"Yeah...I didn't expect any of this to happen..."

I put my hands behind my head, "Neither did I, but...we deal with it now." My eyes began to droop shut.

"I guess so...Shadow?"

"What?"

"Don't leave me alone..."

"I won't, Rose." I responded sub-consciously.

"Thank you.."

Sleep overcame me.


	5. Rain

_Shadow_

I woke up to the sound of rain hitting the sheet of metal above us, my hand touched something warm, I looked down. Amy was curled up against me, her head had been in my chest and my arm was around her. I didn't remember myself holding her at any point of the night, and it kind of scared me. I didn't have time to get close to Amy or anyone, for that matter. I slowly slid from beside her and stretched, the sound of the rain just made me want to close my eyes again. But we had to keep moving.

"Amy." I said quietly, "Come on, we have to move."

She sat up drowsily and rubbed her eyes, she looked like a little girl...God, what was happening to me?

"Okay...can you help me up? My ankle is still sore." Her green eyes looked up at me.

I grabbed her hand and pulled her up, her face was inches from mine, she turned a deep shade of pink. I smirked, "Are you okay?"

"Y—yeah...I think I can walk today."

"You don't have to pretend, I can carry you if you want me to."

Amy chuckled, "Fine. Carry me." My arms slid around her waist and under her knees, being this close to her made me...

No.

What the fuck? How was I falling for her that fast? Yeah, she had a pretty face and an amazing body but still...she wasn't my type. An infatuation couldn't get in my way and I wasn't about to let it either.

Infatuation...?

What the FUCK...?

The downpour of the rain started to get thicker and thicker as we were walking and pretty soon, we were drenched and it started to get cold. We stopped at a nearby gas station on the side of a main highway that ran through the city. Again, there was no sign of life. I helped Amy on top of the counter, "Try to break open the register and grab all that's in there."

"Isn't that stealing?"

I looked at her, "Amy...are you se-?"

"I'm kidding! I know." She began to toy with it, I looked at her. Her wet clothes stuck to her body defining it in every way possible...I couldn't look away.

"Shadow?"

"Huh?"

"You have a staring problem, don't you?"

I turned away and started looking through my bag, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I see you staring at me," She said sternly, "and I don't appreciate it."

I cocked an eyebrow, "Oh, really?"

Her voice was getting closer, "Yes, really! My boyfriend just died, the least you can do is show some respect.

I turned around and smirked, "I think you like as much as I do, Rose."

"No I don't!"

I got in her face and stared into her eyes, I grabbed her chin and leaned in. She sighed out a moan, I dropped my hand, "My point exactly." I went back to checking my supplies.

"Asshole..." She mumbled. The register crashed and change went everywhere.

"What the-?" I turned around, her face was covered in fear and her eyes went over to the windows.

The building was surrounded by them. I froze and I couldn't move.

Amy limped over to me and grabbed my arm, "What do we do?" She whispered in a panic.

"I'll grab the money, you make sure that none of them get in. And take this." I handed her my shotgun.

"I—I don't know how to use this!"

"Just cock, and shoot."

She looked at it wearily, "Okay...?" I threw the bag over my shoulder and went to the back to try and find more useful weapons. Suddenly, I heard glass crashing and shattering, Amy screamed. I ran back to her and found her against the wall, a zombie was about to rip her to shreds.

I yelled, "Kick, Amy!"

Her good leg shot up and kicked it in the face, another grabbed her leg.

Damn.

I started slicing through them, one by one trying to get to Amy. The smell of their innards became incredibly strong and I could barely keep my composure. I grabbed her hand and pulled her out, half of her shirt was gone and so was the gun. Anger sparked but it was the wrong time to get mad, so I just grabbed her and started running through the rain. The drops felt like millions of knives hitting my face, but with all of the energy I had left, I sprinted.

I stopped in a suburban neighborhood and collapsed, I couldn't breathe, and my vision was blurred. My legs felt like they were burning, I hadn't ran like that ever since I escaped the ARK. Amy was next to me and her eyes were dazed but tears were visibly coming out. She was traumatized. I sat up and stared at her, "Amy...?"

Without a word, she flung herself onto me and started to sob uncontrollably. I tensed up, but then relaxed and held her. That was when the remorse started to kick in...she'd been through hell. It was too much for her to bear and that I could understand completely. I was never the one to be this sensitive or the one to comfort but...I felt...obligated. Her arms tightened around my neck and her sobs turned into silent hiccups, I waited for her to calm down.

"Thank you..." She finally rasped.

"I promised, didn't I?"

She rose her head and stared at me intensely, her hand went up to my cheek and her thumb smudged off something. My mind and my body became two separate things. I grabbed her hand and held it tightly. The rain continued to pour continuously.

"Shadow..."

I placed my lips on hers.


	6. Not Now

_Amy_

His warm mouth kissed mine and I was immediately sucked into an ecstasy that I had never experienced. Even with Sonic. With him, it was all about being gentle...with Shadow there was a dark intensity that drove me crazy. I wanted more. His hands moved down my back and onto my hips, he brought me even closer as our lips meshed together. He started to plant kisses down my throat, his name escaped my mouth in a desperate moan.

Suddenly, I tensed up. What was I doing? Sonic had just died...and I still wasn't over it yet. I pulled back, "Shadow?" The rain trickled down my face.

He looked confused, "What's wrong?"

I sighed, "I can't do this right now," I got up and sat on the curb of the street, "I mean, he just died and...I'm not over him yet."

Shadow sat next to me, "I understand." I looked over at him, he stared up at the gray sky. My eyes traveled down his body...he was beautiful. His muscles were sculpted and detailed beneath his wet shirt and I couldn't stop looking...I couldn't stop wanting him...

No.

I got up, my clothes rubbed against my cold skin. A wave of goosebumps overcame my body, I shivered so hard that it was visible and my breath came out shuddered.

Shadow looked over at me, "You're freezing." He picked me up in his solid arms, I snuggled against his chest trying to gain warmth.

"Sh-sh-shadow." I said through my chattering teeth.

"Yeah?" He began to walk back towards the junkyard.

"Y—y-you're so warm..." I snuggled closer and a chill ran through my body as the heat battled with the cold in the pit of my stomach.

I could almost feel him smirking, "Thanks."

We eventually got back to the shelter that we built, it was still standing tall and rain ran off of it on the top. Shadow ran under it and set me down, he started to walk back out, I grabbed his hand, "W-w-where are you g-going?"

"I'm going to find stuff to make a fire. Hopefully, there's something that's dry out there."

A lump formed in my throat, "Don't leave me...p—p—please."

"Amy..."

"Don't."

"Amy, look, you'll be fine. You have the gun. Use it if you have to."

Tears brimmed my eyes, I couldn't understand why I was getting so upset, "Shadow...please."

He gently freed his hand from mine, "I'll be back." He ran out into the thick wall of rain.

A sob ripped from my chest, waves of chills were hitting my back to back. I wrapped myself in my arms and leaned against one of the metal walls. What was I afraid of? Was I afraid of losing Shadow? Why? It shouldn't have been happening like this. I loved Sonic...even if he was just a corpse now. I held myself tighter and closed my eyes, tears freely ran down my cheeks and I could feel my body temperature slowly decreasing.

About ten minutes had passed and by then, I was convulsing, trying to keep the little to non-existent warmth that I had. I fell over, my whole body was numb and when it hit the ground, it felt like a thousand knives, pricking at my skin. I couldn't breathe or make a sound...my eyes drooped and started to close. My conscience was depleting rapidly, I tried to fight it but it was so over bearing...

I remember a pair of warm arms pulling me into them.

And then I blacked out.

* * *

><p>I woke up and in front of me was a little fire that blazed by my feet. The cold had left me entirely and so did the chills, I looked down, noticing something that was restraining me. Shadow's arms were around me and his soft breathing was right in my ear. He was still soaking wet and I could feel him shivering under me. I sat up and the blanket fell off of me, I placed it over him and wrapped my arms around him. I stared at his face, absent minded, and put my hand on his cheek. I suddenly felt bad. He was sacrificing so much for me, even his life, and all I could was just sit back and watch. That had been a problem with me ever since I was little. I wasn't the strongest person I knew and always had other people defending me or doing things for me.<p>

I was a brat.

My eyes wandered off of his face and back to the fire. I began to get angry with myself. With Shadow. And with everything. Tears started to run down as I started to become overwhelmed, I held a hand over my mouth, trying to keep from sobbing but it wasn't working because when I turned back over to Shadow, his ruby eyes were wide and staring at me. I jumped and yelped.

He kept staring, "Why are you crying?"

I wiped off my face and frowned, "I'm not. Go back to sleep.

"I hate liars."

I shot him a glare, "Me too." My lip quivered, I sat up.

He sat up as well, his eyes narrowed, "How am I a liar?"

"You just are. Okay?" I sobbed.

He scoffed and got up, "Good reason."

I snapped and I was overcome by rage, "You know what? I'm tired of you always being an asshole to me, and to everyone that you come in contact with! How dare you kiss me and try to get in my pants when you've just met me a day ago! And you know what? If you don't want me around, fine! I'll leave!" My sobs became frequent, I started to get up when suddenly, there was a forceful pull on my wrist.

Shadow pulled me down and backed me against the wall. His hands were on either side of my head, his eyes glared darkly into mine. And for some reason...that turned me on way too much. I struggled to keep my composure, "Hey-!"

His face got closer to mine, his voice was low and deadly, "Let's get something straight. You have absolutely no right to tell me how to be. You don't even know me, or what I've been through. So you can literally shut the fuck up and follow me because that's the only way that your ass is going to stay alive. I saved you because, believe it or not princess, I actually care about you and I hate the fact that I do. So, unless you have something intelligent, useful, or valid to say. Shut up and let me do what I have to do. Got it?"

My anger only spiked up even more, "You...you...you...you BASTAR-!"

His lips crushed against mine and, almost instantly, all of my thoughts dissolved into nothing. His hands slid down to my waist and pulled me closer, I wrapped my arms around his neck. His mouth moved down to my neck, a moan escaped from my throat, his lips moved against it sending surges of ecstasy through me. My breath hitched and I ran my hands against his defined chest and wrapped my legs around his waist. He pulled away from my neck and kissed me again, his hands traveled down to the back of my thighs, I shuddered.

Suddenly his voice was in my ear, in a low whisper, "You like that, don't you?"

I could barely form sentences, "N...no..."

"I hate liars." His lips found my neck again, a loud moan slipped out.

"S..stop." I whispered, yet...I was pulling him closer.

He stopped, and got off of me, smirking. I almost lost it when he did, half of me wanted to continue but the other half was screaming the word, "whore" at me. I sat up, my ripped shirt drooped off of my shoulder, I held it up, "What the fuck was that...?" My breath heavy.

"That...was me not being a liar." Shadow put out the fire and suddenly it was pitch black.

"Whatever." I hugged myself, slightly afraid. There was an eerie silence that began looming over our heads. The paranoia started to set in, the ecstasy was gone and so was the lingering touch of Shadow. The knot that had formed in my chest earlier was back.

"Amy."

I jumped, "What?"

He sighed, "You know you can share this blanket with me. I promise I won't do anything."

I hesitated for a bit, but I eventually crawled over to Shadow and settled under the warm blanket. His arms brought me closer to him and wrapped around my waist. My forehead rested on his firm chest, "Shadow...my boyfriend of a year died about a day ago."

"I'm aware."

"Then why is this happening?"

"I don't know...maybe you just hate the feeling of being alone. I remember seeing you with Sonic everywhere. You never went anywhere without him."

I sighed and looked up at him, "It's true. I hate being alone."

"...Me too." He murmured. His arms became tighter around me, "Can I kiss you again...?"

My eyes started to close.

"Not now."


	7. Shotguns and Sex

_Shadow_

I woke up to the smell of dead flesh in my nose, I shot open my eyes and there _they_ were. Right outside of the shelter. Amy was snuggled into my chest, I bent my head down and whispered, "Amy. Wake up."

She stirred a little, "No..."

One of them froze, hearing her. My stomach dropped, but it went back to limping around.

"Amy. Get up. Now." I whispered fiercely.

"Shut up-" I smacked a hand over her mouth, her eyes shot open in confusion. I pointed to the outside, her eyes went wide and a whimper escaped her.

"Shhh." I took my hand off of her mouth and whispered, "Get the guns, and when I say so, shoot. Okay?"

She nodded and timidly crawled over to get the guns that were leaning against the wall. Her hand was shaking visibly, as she stuck it out. I gritted my teeth in suspense. The last thing that we needed was a hoard of _them _because of her being clumsy. Her hand touched the gun.

And then all hell broke lose.

The closest one screeched and ran full force towards Amy. She let out a piercing scream as it pounced on her. I went up and kicked it in the jaw, creating a deafening crack, grabbed her hand and swung her on my back, "Hold on!" Her grip tightened around my neck and her legs around my waist. I began running, full speed, through the wave of monsters, shooting senselessly at whatever came my way. Amy's screams ran through my ear, sending a pang of desperation through me.

I had to get her out of this hell hole, even if it meant losing my life.

They kept coming in hundreds and I could slowly feel myself growing tired. But I refused to give up. I kept running, blood splattered from their bodies and hit my face which enraged me even more. I finally focused on where I was, and realized I hadn't shot in a while. I looked down and saw that I wasn't on land...but I was running on water.

I remembered back to a time when Sonic and I had always raced each other daily. Of course, it was a tie every time but, for some reason...I missed those days. Maybe it was because I had felt sorry for Amy losing him. Or maybe it was because, at one point, Sonic accepted me as an actual person. I hate to say it...but I actually respected Sonic the Hedgehog at one point.

Up ahead was Angel Island, home of a friend of ours named Knuckles.

* * *

><p>My feet halted on the soft mossy ground of the island. My chest was heaving painfully for air. I dropped Amy in front of me and collapsed onto my stomach. I couldn't breathe. Amy scrambled to me in tears, "Shadow? Shadow! Are you okay?"<p>

I almost rolled my eyes at her but instead, I rasped, "Go and get Knuckles. Tell him that we're here."

"No. I-I can't leave you here...I can't-"

"Goddammit, Amy. Find him!" I weakly grabbed her arm. I coughed still trying to catch my breath. She staggered to her feet and disappeared beyond the trees, her feet pattered against the leaves until they could be heard no more. My eyes started to droop shut as I fought to keep them open. My hand clutched the shot gun next to me, I pulled it close to my body. Even though we were on an island, those fuckers could be anywhere.

It seemed like an eternity before Amy returned. Behind her was the echidna, he looked down at me with a worried look, "Is he okay enough to stand?"

Amy knelt beside me and her hand stroked my hair, "I don't think so..."

The ground left from under me and suddenly I was over Knuckles' shoulder. I wanted to protest and say that I was just fine but I couldn't even talk. I was so exhausted. My eyes finally closed making the world around me go black. The only thing that I could remember was the conversation they had...

"So, where's Sonic?" Knuckles asked her.

There was a slight pause, "...Dead."

"I...I'm sorry, Ames."

She sniffed, "It's fine. He turned into one of them and attacked me. Luckily Shadow saw me and...he...well, killed him."

"Huh." He sounded perplexed, "And you two have been in the city for what? Three days?"

"Yeah..."

He sighed, "Damn. Well, are you bitten or anything? Is he?"

"No. I think we're immune..."

"I am too..." There was another pause before he said, "You really care about him don't you?"

I could almost hear her mind processing the question, "...Yeah." She whispered. It sounded like she didn't want to admit it. With Sonic dead, her comfort zone was gone. All she had left was me. I wouldn't like that either. I'm an asshole.

I felt my body being laid on something soft, the warmth of it made my mind go at ease. Amy's hand grabbed mine, I could feel hers trembling.

"Let me know if you two need anything...like clothes or food...or a condom." He chuckled.

Amy chuckled weakly, something I hadn't heard in ages, "Shut up." The door clicked shut and we were alone. Suddenly I could feel Amy's body shake more violently. Sobs ripped from her and her forehead fell onto my chest. It's not like I was dead or anything, so why was she so upset? It was more than that. It had to be. I forced my eyes to open. I squeezed her hand and her head shot up. Her green eyes met mine, she wiped away her tears, "Hi."

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know..." She choked out a sob.

"Tell me." Part of me was begging for her to tell me what she was thinking. It had gotten the better of me. I had to know what caused her so many tears.

She looked down, "Just...I'm so confused and this entire...I just...Shadow, I think that I might...love you." Her emerald orbs traveled up to me. My thoughts went foggy for a split second and time seemed to have stopped. Did she just...? She couldn't love me. She couldn't.

I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, "Amy...it's been three days. You're just saying that because you lost your precious little boyfriend. You don't actually care about me."

"That's a fucking lie! After all that you've done for me, how could I not care about you? Yeah, Sonic died, but that doesn't mean that I can't move on! You've done more for me than he died in an entire fucking year, Shadow."

"Amy."

"What?"

I chuckled and sat up, bringing her up with me as well, "You're so fucking dramatic."

She stared at me for a moment and her cheeks lit up in anger, "Is that all you have to say, you ba-?"

I crushed my lips against hers and kissed her roughly. Her hands instantly brought me closer into it. Her body rested against mine making my heart pound twice as fast. I pulled her on top of me and moved my hands to the bottom of her shirt. I pulled it over her head revealing her beautiful body, she blushed and bit her lip. I took her hand and kissed the back of it. She leaned back in and kissed me again, only more passionately. I savored the sweet taste of her lips in a desperate attempt to never lose it.

Her hands tugged at my shirt, I let her slip it over my head. Her warm hands started to roam my chest and then down to my abs. Waves of pleasure shot through me and I pulled her closer.

Were we about to have sex in the middle of a pandemic?

Yes. Yes we were.


	8. Epiphany

_Amy_

I let my fingers trace patterns across Shadow's chest as he slept peacefully. I looked up and smiled gently at his sleeping figure. The usual edge that his face held was gone and replaced with a peaceful stillness. I could still feel the warmth of his touch on certain places of my body. He was surprisingly warm under me. I mean, looking at Shadow you would think that he's this cold person inside and out. But nobody really gave him a chance to speak his mind without being judged. Not only was he a passionate person, but he had a way with his words. A way that I didn't know was possible from anyone. It was beautiful, poetic and it made me feel like the luckiest person alive.

I laid my head down and closed my eyes, taking in the sound of his pulse beating steadily. That was the first moment in days that I had felt completely at ease and relaxed. For a second, I forgot that we were in the middle of an apocalypse. Every stressful thought fled from my conscience. I was with Shadow and that's all I wanted. Deep down, I knew that I would always love Sonic, but I realized that it would hurt me even more if I kept dwelling on his death. I didn't want to be hurt anymore, I wanted to heal myself in every way possible. So I did.

He stirred and his pulse quickened a little, "...Amy?"

I looked up and smiled, "Hey."

"Are you okay? Is everything okay? God, I'm sorry that I-"

"Shadow. Everything is fine. Will you just relax? For one second?" I giggled as a faint blush touched his cheeks. He laid his head back down and sighed. I slid myself up so that I was eye level with him, "Are _you _okay?"

"Fine. Actually...fantastic." He put his hands behind his head, "I mean...I've never done...that with...someone."

I blinked in surprise, "Excuse me?"

"Don't make me say it again." He propped himself up on his elbows, giving me a look.

"You...you were a..."

"Virgin. Yeah."

I started laughing out of shock and honor. I, Amy Rose, took the virginity of Shadow the fucking Hedgehog. I wanted to convince myself that it was a joke but by the way he looked when I started laughing, made me feel a little remorseful. I spoke gently, "Shadow, you know that I don't mind, right?"

"...Sure you don't."

"Seriously. I'm actually...honored. I mean, you're an amazing person. Inside and out. Any girl would have been lucky to share that moment with you. Don't be embarrassed because you were a virgin."

He clenched his jaw, "I'm not embarrassed. I'm just...frustrated."

"Why? What did I do?"

"You didn't do anything, Amy. Nobody will give me a chance in this life. I try to be myself and try not to let anything get to me. Ever since Maria..." His voice broke slightly, "Ever since she died, I've become this shell deflecting all emotion that's thrown at me. It ends up hurting people and...I think it's starting to happen with you." His eyes met mine, "I don't want to hurt you, Amy. I can't. I refuse to."

I placed my hand on his cheek and placed my lips lightly on his. His arms instantly started pulling me closer, almost desperately. I felt so sorry for him in so many ways. He literally had no one to turn to and nobody to love him. Although he put up a persona of isolation, he was hurting. I think I was the only that actually noticed.

I pulled away and placed my forehead on his, "You never have to worry about hurting me, Shadow. I trust you. More than anything."

He closed his eyes, "...I-" Suddenly the door burst open and there stood a concerned looking Rouge.

She gasped at the sight of Shadow and I naked...and on a bed...with me on top of him...oh God. Her pale cheeks turned red with anger, "Amy Rose! For the love—REALLY?! You and—WHAT THE FUCK?!"

Shadow rolled his eyes and casually pulled his jeans up, giving me a quick kiss on the lips. He calmly walked past Rouge and went out the door. Rouge's stare never broke from mine. She finally spoke again, "What the fuck is going on?"

"Exactly what it looked like. I had sex with Shadow." I got up and started to gather my clothes. At the moment, I didn't want to discuss my feelings with Rouge. They were still untangling themselves in a frenzy and the last thing I needed was my best friend telling me how much of a whore I am.

"Simple as that, I'm guessing? This isn't a fucking game, Amy! Instead of riding dick, we need to get the fuck out of here! What the fuck is your problem?! You're such a who-!"

My hand whipped across her face impulsively. My chest heaved angrily, "How dare you. Unlike you and the rest of the goddamn city, I actually have found some optimism out of this situation! I didn't see you running to my rescue whenever Sonic had me pinned to the ground, ready to rip my throat out. What were you doing, Rouge? Huh?" I got in her face, "Were you fucking Knuckles the entire time? Espio? Silver? The list goes on. So don't you _dare _tell me that I'm wrong."

Her bottom lip quivered as she held her cheek, "Amy..."

"Save it." I pulled on my shirt and my shorts, wanting to get out of the room before I started feeling bad. I started towards the door and stopped, "By the way...you dropped your condom." I kicked over a metallic looking square toward her, "Bye, Rouge." I left her standing dumbfounded in the small cabin.

It felt good to actually say all of that. For years, Rouge had teased me about being a virgin and talked to me about her endless sexual escapades. I kept downing myself because of it and it eventually started to affect my self esteem. It was when I had started dating Sonic that I realized that I didn't need sex to love someone. I had loved Shadow before the sex and I loved him for who he was. It didn't have to happen and I would still love him unconditionally.

I started to wander through the jungle of Angel Island and to a spot that Sonic had taken me one summer. It was a small little pond with a beautiful waterfall that sat on the edge of the island. We would go there every night and talk, hold each other, cry, hell, even make out sometimes. I approached the still pond and sat down beside it, staring into the clear water. I hugged my knees to my chest and listened to the rushing water falling down. The fear of _them _coming back suddenly crept into my mind. All good things must come to an end. I sighed at the realization and buried my face into my knees. I wanted to have a normal life again and not one lived in fear. I hated all of it. My blood started to boil as my anger started to build. I stood up and grabbed a rock and threw it as far as I could into the jungle. A burst of adrenaline rushed through me and I started throwing anything my hands touched. My legs kicked at the air and strained cries escaped from me.

Tears started to run down my face out of rage as I collapsed to my knees and just sat there. I didn't sob nor did I make a single sound. They fell silently down my cheeks in continuous streams, dripping off of my chin and into the ground. I felt exhausted, suddenly and put my head in my hands.

The sound of footsteps sounded not too far from me. They were slowly coming closer.

I froze up completely and slowly rose my eyes to where they were.

I gasped and a scream ripped from my throat.


	9. Blue Eyes and Optimism

_Shadow_

As I left the cabin, I couldn't help but feel nauseous at the fact that I almost told Amy that I loved her. I was beginning to think that I was infected. I was beside myself and it scared me immensely. I thought that I wasn't supposed to be capable of love in these types of situations. Hell, there were flesh eating _things _out there that had to be killed and here I was, having sex. The thought made me laugh almost. I just had sex...and it felt _so _good. (a/n: Could NOT help myself...kudos if you get the reference.) I had never actually felt so fucking vulnerable until that happened. It was scary but eventually, it became this indescribable feeling that I never wanted to lose.

I approached Knuckles who was sitting on the Emerald. From the look on his face, he was upset for some reason. I plopped down next to him and sighed, "You okay?"

"I guess." He shrugged, "Just...bored."

"That's all?"

His eyes narrowed, "And...heartbroken."

I raised an eyebrow at the echidna, "Why?"

"I don't know...I just..." He hopped off, "It's Rouge. I mean, she's a...bitch but she's so...gah! I hate this! I have feelings going this way and some going the other way-"

"Whoa. Are you coming out on me?"

He sighed, "Yes. That's it. No, Shadow. I'm not."

I chuckled and jumped down in front of him, "Look, have you talked to her about it?"

He shook his head and looked down, "I don't want to get rejected..."

"That's part of it. Taking the risk. Knuckles, we're in a fucking pandemic. Who cares about rejection? Tell her. What do you have to lose?"

His violet eyes traveled down to his feet. He slowly nodded and trudged toward the cabin where she had headed. I jumped back on top of the Emerald and stared off into the jungle, thinking. So much had happened in three days that I couldn't fathom it, almost. It was so weird. I was a completely different person than I was before and I actually liked it. I was loved by someone and it softened my heart a little. My mind traveled back to the time when Maria had died. I frowned and slid off of the Emerald. I started to walk.

I could have done a lot of things to stop her from taking her last breath but it was...the bullet had already pierced her heart. She had told me to run and I did, like some selfish bastard. She would have been there with me, smiling and making that entire pandemic something to laugh at. I missed her optimism. I missed those beautiful blue eyes and the way they looked whenever she laughed. She was my first love and always will be but for some reason, her and Amy were similar. Yes, Amy had this fierce way about her but...it was soft at the same time. That's what I cherished about the both of them. The fact that they were so sensitive and fragile creatures and they trusted me with their lives.

I just felt...honored.

I had wandered to the edge of the Island, not noticing. I looked out into the clear blue water and felt a sense of tranquility wash over me. How could such a beautiful place be so infected with those..._things_...? I clenched my jaw at the thought and began to get frustrated. I figured that this moment of paradise wouldn't last long and that I couldn't get too comfortable. I groaned in frustration and kicked a rock into the ocean. Suddenly, a piercing scream sounded in the distance.

My sense sparked alive as I snapped my head towards it.

Amy.

Before I could think, I felt myself sprinting through the jungle. My legs moved faster as the scream grew louder. I ran all the way up to a clearing. I was at the top of a waterfall and I looked down. There she was. Pinned down by one of _them_. I jumped down, bringing my heel down on its skull. My clothes became soaked as I jumped down into the tiny pond that rested at the bottom. Amy quickly got up, grabbed a stone and started to bash its head into the ground.

Tears were running down her face, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I FUCKING HATE YOU!" She screamed. She kept going until she gave up with a huff. Pretty soon, she just started to cry, bent over by _it._ I could do nothing but sit there and watch her. That's how I felt on the inside, that's what I wanted to do but I don't cry. I haven't cried since...she died.

I slowly walked over and knelt by her, "Ames..."

She looked up at me wearily. Fresh tears sprung to her eyes as she suddenly clutched onto me. I wrapped my arms around her tightly and kissed her hair, "It's okay...it's gonna be over soon, Amy. Look at me."

Her eyes met with mine and held them. I kissed her lightly and whispered, "Please. Don't give up on me. Not right now...you're stronger than this."

"Am I?" She pulled away and looked at me.

"Do you realize how badass you are...? I mean, you're still alive. Not everyone would have the mental stability and physicality to survive any of this. Honestly, you're amazing."

She sobbed a laugh and blushed slightly, "...You are too, Shadow. Really. But, thank you." Her eyes grew wide as she stared behind me. Her small arms shoved me to the side and all I saw was blood splatter on the ground. I peered up and my eyes widened in horror.

One of _them _their teeth sunken into her shoulder. She gritted her teeth in pain and punched it in the head. It released itself from her arm and fell to the ground becoming completely still. Amy cried out in pain as she dropped to her knees, holding her shoulder.

I rushed to her, "Amy!" I tore off my shirt and held it against the wound.

"God! It hurts!"

"Why the fuck did you do that?! What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

"It was going to bite-" She coughed and blood came running out of the corner of her mouth.

My eyes started to burn. I picked her up and started running back towards the cabin, "KNUCKLES! HELP ME!"

As I approached the cabin, he ran out of it, gasping at the sight of Amy. He exclaimed, "What happened?!"

"Those _things _are here! They...she...one of them almost bit me and she...she..."

He took her from me, "Come with me." Amy dug her nails into his arm and screamed. I winced and followed. He set her down on the bed and removed my shirt from the bite. His face crumpled just looking at it. The smell of blood hit my nose, making my stomach turn. I grabbed her hand and kissed it.

She looked at me and squeezed it tightly, "Shadow..." More tears came to her eyes.

"You're going to be okay, Amy. Don't worry. Stay with me. Please..." I bent down and kissed her forehead, "Stay with me, babe. Please."

She smiled weakly at me, "Shut up. I'll be fine." She coughed again and blood spilled from her mouth. Knuckles tried to ignore it as he kept working on her shoulder.

I bit my lip and put my forehead against her hand. What I felt, at that moment, was too complex to put into words...so I just said it.

"I love you."

Her breathing became shallow, "I love you too..."

Tears finally rolled down my cheeks.


	10. Taking Things For Granted

A/N: About damn time, right?! All of the feedback that I received from all of you was...oh my gods.

I love all of you. Thank you so much for taking an interest in my writing! It means so much :3 please. Never hesitate to criticize (constructively) and give me feedback. Also, warning. This chapter is a bit...thrown together. I might change it later but I figured I would write more for you guys. So enjoy!

Please comment! Thank you!

_Amy_

I remember falling...

It wasn't necessarily darkness but something worse...

It was..._pain. _This dreadful and agonizing pain. I couldn't escape it no matter how hard I tried to. All I could do was let out muted screams that couldn't be heard as many times they ripped from my throat. My body was convulsing with spasms whenever I struggled even more.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't see.

I couldn't feel anything except for this indescribable pain.

I needed Shadow.

Where was he...? I was hurting. He was supposed to protect me.

Suddenly my mind went back to something. Blood. Shadow looking up at me with his fiery eyes...only he was...

My eyes shot open and my chest rose and fell painfully. I coughed up some of the remaining blood in my throat, the taste of rust lingered on my tongue. I took in a shallow breath and my hand began to search for him. Was he okay...? What happened? Is he dead?

Warmth submerged my hand.

I looked down to see his fingers intertwined with mine.

"...How..am I even alive...?" It hurt to talk.

His finger glided back and forth over my knuckles as he studied my face. Shadow held no expression which scared me a little.

"Shadow...?"

He closed his eyes and brought my hand up to his lips, "...I was so scared."

My stomach dropped slightly. Shadow? Scared? I sat up, holding my now wrapped up shoulder, "Why?"

"I almost lost you." He murmured.

A spasm of pain went through my arm, I winced. That was no reason to be scared. Honestly, he would have been better without me. The mere fact that those words came out of his mouth made me a little uneasy.

I didn't want to argue though...

I was happy with the thought of being alive and being able to stay with Shadow.

Despite the shooting pain in my shoulder, I jumped up and wrapped my arms around his neck tightly. His arms slid around my waist and brought me closer to him. I loved that feeling. We were molded perfectly together.

He backed away and looked into my eyes.

"...For some reason, you would be the only zombie that I would voluntarily sleep with."

–

As soon as the remaining light of the sun hit my eyes, I started to appreciate being alive a little more. I hadn't seen it in days and it was beautiful. When I had woken up, it was sunset.

Shadow's arm stayed around my waist to support me ever since I had gotten out of bed. I couldn't help but be thankful.

We went to find Knuckles so we could start getting ready to escape this damn island.

On our way to the shrine, we came across the place where we were attacked. The dry blood was still on the ground which was a little unnerving to see.

I bent down and ran my fingers across the stains, "...how long was I...?"

"Three days."

I sat down, taking in the beautiful sunset. I couldn't help but stop and realize that I was still alive. I closed my eyes and began listening to the sounds of Angel Island.

I could hear Shadow's breathing next to me, Knuckles and Rouge bickering far off in the distance and the sound of the waterfall that was close by.

Shadow's voice was in my ear, "Are you okay?"

I nodded and opened my eyes, "Just trying not to take everything for granted." I took his hand and began playing with his fingers, "Including you."

He looked at our hands, a smile played on his lips.

I kissed his fingertips, "If the world weren't so fucked up right now, I would say that I would want to stay here forever."

"Me too."

I turned to him, "Do you think we'll make it out of here...?"

His ruby eyes bore into mine. The answer was obvious on his face. He was as hopeful as I was but there was no way we could wait the pandemic out. There were too many of them...6,999,999,994 to be exact.

I kissed Shadow fiercely and pulled him into me. I wouldn't let us die. We couldn't.

He slid his arms around my waist and deepened it. A soft whimper escaped from me. I pulled away, "We can't die...we can't."

"We won't. Even if it takes my own life, I will do everything in my power to protect you."

"No. Don't talk like tha-"

"Amy. Nothing you say will change my mind."

I took in a breath and pressed my lips into a tight line.

He placed his forehead on mine, "Do you trust me?"

"More than anything."

"Then trust me when I say that we will make it."

He was the source of my hope at the time. It was needed. I nodded and hugged him tightly, "Okay. I trust you."

He placed his hand on the small of my back and kissed the top of my head.

A month ago from that moment, I was in Sonic's arms saying that I trusted him more than anything. Never in my life had I imagined saying this to someone who used to hate me so much. Now he loved me and it was the best thing to ever happen to me.

He grinned, "Good. Now come on. We need to get out of here."

I stood up and started to walk back to the Shrine with Shadow's hand in mine. His confidence made me wonder what plan he had in mind.

"So with all of this cockiness, I assume you have some sort of plan?"

He nodded.

"Indeed I do."


	11. Goodbyes

A/N: I will tell all of you…that this chapter was painful to write. I'm sorry for being away for such a long time, I recently became a freshman in college. The transition was hard and it's been a rough time. I will say that this story is almost done and it sort of saddens me.

But thank you all for your support and comments, and for sticking with me the entire time. This will not be the last one that I write, so I will be coming back with some more ShadAmy!

Enjoy. Keep your loved ones close.

_Shadow's POV_

I couldn't even breathe for weeks.

There was this constant tremble that never left my body and I was left in the world alone. That day was etched in my mind, refusing to leave, making it impossible to function. I cursed and damned myself to the deepest part of darkness every day since it happened. I wasn't fast enough, I couldn't stop it, it was inevitable.

Amy and I walked along the outline of Emerald City with caution; the sky was filled with smoke that had been going since it all began. We stayed close to each other, armed and ready to kill anything that moved. All of us had planned to get any remaining supplies and get the hell away from the area to go somewhere else safer. We wanted away from Emerald City, away from Angel Island and away from the disaster and infection. I wanted to get Amy away from it especially.

"Shadow?" She asked. We had stopped at the elementary school that was down the street from the center part of town. Knuckles, Rouge and Tails scattered into different parts of the city with nothing but walkie-talkies to keep in contact with us.

"Yeah?" I sat down on the bench by the playground because my legs were screaming for a rest.

"…I think this is going to work."

"Do you?"

She sat down next to me and leaned her head on my shoulder, "Yeah. I mean, we have a solid plan. Get what we need, load up one of Tails' planes and get the hell out of here."

My mouth twitched at the thought of being away from it all. She was right. It was right in front of us for us to reach. I placed my arm around her shoulders and sighed, "You're right. But with our luck, we can't speak too soon."

She chuckled, "I know."

And for the first time, I looked around us to see the remains of the elementary school. I frowned at the thought of kids being here when the virus hit. It made my stomach turn into a tight knot that almost made me sick.

I took my arm back away from around Amy and stared down at the ground.

"Shadow? What's wrong…?" She turned towards me.

"Nothing. I'm fine. We need to get going." I began to stand up until her hand grabbed my wrist.

"Tell me."

I hesitated as I looked down at her, "…the elementary school freaks me out."

"Why?" Her eyes narrowed.

"There were kids in there, Amy."

Her mouth went into an "oh" shape and she slowly peered at the abandoned building. The clouds began to hang low and I felt a slight sprinkle on my forehead.

"We should go," I tugged on Amy's hand. She nodded, gathering her handgun and squeezed my hand. I planted a kiss on her cheek as we started walking away from the school.

It happened when we were in front of a destroyed gas station.

Amy and I were about to walk in when we heard _them._

We went inside and found a box of bottled water that we were trying to haul out of there. I had Amy hoisted on my shoulders so she could get the box.

"I almost have it." She reached as far as she could.

"Take your time." I wrapped my arms around her thighs.

"We kind of can't. Those things could pop up at any minute."

For a second, I forgot they existed. That's how I wanted it to stay but in a world like that, you couldn't.

"Got it." She grabbed it into her arms, "You can put me down now."

I lowered her down until her feet touched the ground; a grin was stretched on her face. She clutched the box close to her chest, "Can we go now?"

I chuckled, "Yeah, we can go."

Her eyes suddenly widened.

"Watch out!"

Before I could process it, I was on the ground and all I could hear was an inhuman growl and a scream. I focused my vision on what's happening; I could feel my heart stop. Amy was backed against the wall by one of those things with his teeth in her neck. She kept screaming and screaming but her neck suddenly started to bleed. I sprung to my feet with my gun in hand and knocked him to the ground with the end of it. I began beating his head into the floor, shouts ripping from my mouth with every hit. I kept going until he was nothing but smashed organs on the ground.

My breathing was hard and came out shattered as I looked over at Amy who was motionless. I scrambled over to her, "No. No. No. Fuck."

Her neck had an entire chunk missing from it and it showed most of the inside of her throat. There were low gurgles coming from her mouth. Tears instantly began to fall. I put my hands on her cheeks, "Amy, please. Wake up."

There was a low moan coming from her mouth.

"Amy…?"

Her eyes opened to reveal this glossy white film that covered the emerald green that used to be there. Her mouth oozed blood that ran from her chin down to her chest. The growling intensified as she gave me this animalistic look.

My face became expressionless as I slowly picked up my gun.

I placed my finger on the trigger.

The growl got louder.

I closed my eyes and pulled it.

The growls stopped.


	12. Static

I slowly walked through the broken city with her bloody body in my hands. Ever since I pulled the trigger on my Rose, I hadn't looked at her face at all. My tears stopped and I felt nothing from that point on and I liked it that way.

My walkie-talkie buzzed to life with static, followed by Tails' voice, "Shadow? Shadow, can you hear me?"

I didn't even bother to pick it up and answer.

"Shadow, come in. We're set and ready to go. How far away are you?"

I stopped walking as I continued to stare into nothing. I sunk down on the cold, hard street and picked it up with a trembling hand, "She's gone." My voice wasn't recognizable; it sounded hoarse and that of a soulless being.

"What?" He responded.

"I killed her." A lump rose in my throat as tears started to fall again, only I didn't sob nor did I dare to try to.

There was a long pause before he said, "…We're on the shore of the beach just outside of the city." The finality of his voice hinted that he had put the pieces together. I could almost feel what he was feeling, that twisted and painful punch to the gut that keeps happening repeatedly.

Without moving my eyes, I stood back up, Amy in my arms, and kept walking. I sucked my lip behind my teeth to try and push away the urge to scream for her to come back. I honestly had never felt that way since Maria and it scared me. The fact that I was still that vulnerable scared me; it was like pouring alcohol on an open wound.

To my surprise, none of those fuckers came out to stop me. Was it a higher being's way of not saying "fuck you" for once? Maybe. All I had to do was accept it.

I kept walking through the city in the same trance.

I suddenly stopped at the feeling of my stomach dropping repeatedly. I finally, after hours, looked down. Her skin had rotted away slightly but you could still tell that it was her. Her eyelashes were still long and there still was a slight blush on her round cheeks. I ran my thumb across her cheekbone.

My lip began to quiver as I pulled her to my body. I sobbed as I fell onto the ground once more, rocking back and forth. I sucked in a breath and began to cry out as tears ran down my face, burning the little cuts on my face.

"Please, come back. Please. Please." I closed my eyes and sobbed into her shoulder.

I continued to sob.

"Please…"


	13. Reoccurances

A/N: Sadly, the time has come to say goodbye to this story. I have appreciated all of your guy's support throughout this entire process. It's been hard to keep up with updates lately, seeing as college has been kicking my ass. But I do it for you guys. Seriously. Thank you all so much.

And now I present the last chapter of Black Roses.

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><p><em>Two years later…<em>

We buried her under an oak tree that resided down the street from our shelter, and put a tombstone on her grave. It was engraved with roses and her name was in a delicate script that I tried my best to replicate. I went down there every day to lay a rose and talk to her about my day or anything that was on my mind.\

After the day she died, I didn't cry anymore and I guess that was for the best. I had to be a leader now.

Tails, Rouge, Knuckles and I re-established a piece of land that became this little civilization shortly after all the monsters were exterminated. With Tails' skills in mechanics and me to build, we built plenty of shelters and began sending out calls to anyone that remained. Luckily we had survivors join us a few days after and they too began to help with it.

I couldn't have been happier but at the same time, I had wished that Amy could have seen this, that she could have been here with me. But I couldn't really do anything about it but be thankful that I knew that she was at peace. That's all that really mattered.

I think I saw her one day, actually.

I was carrying supplies to the infirmary that had been run by Rouge and dropped them off. On my way back, I had decided to go to her grave to do my daily talk. Suddenly, a scent hit my nose that I couldn't really describe. I still can't describe it.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion and followed it until it became stranger and stronger. I then realized that it was the scent of roses and my eyes widened. I began to run after it in hopes that Amy would be at the end of it. That lump that I felt after holding her body, returned in my throat.

It brought me to the edge of a plateau which led into a beautiful green valley; the sun was sinking behind the hills which made an orange light shine through. I stared at the sun as the scent suddenly disappeared. I hadn't realized that tears were falling until a breeze dried them. It was as if someone was wiping them away, and with that, I smiled ever so slightly. I closed my eyes, taking her in and imagining her smiling and giggling like she always did. She was perfectly fine.

I opened my eyes with more tears to fall, "Thank you, Rose."

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><p>I returned back to the shelter and met up with Knuckles to start planning construction for the school that we wanted to build. With the amount of trees that surrounded us, there were plenty of resources to do so. After all, most of what we had built already was made out of wood.<p>

I sat down behind Tails' drafting table and began to draw. Knuckles stood behind me, "Where did you disappear off to?"

I wanted to tell him how I "saw" Amy but I didn't want to sound crazy. I replied, "I just felt like taking a run. I found this open valley that's not too far from here. It's beautiful."

"Really? Huh. I'll have to check it out."

"You should take Rouge there," I smirked.

The faintest blush touched his cheeks, "Why should I?"

"I mean, you guys have pretty much fucked, right?"

He instantly became flustered, "No! Yes, but no. Not really, kinda." He rambled. I chuckled and went back to my drawing. He and Rouge were undeniable "together" but they just didn't want to admit it.

"You keep telling yourself that, Knuckles." I grinned. The opening to the tent opened and air from the outside rushed in.

"Are you Shadow?"

"Yes," I kept looking down and tried to focus on my drawing, "is everything okay?" I turned around.

There was a girl who was about my age and she had long brown hair. Her round, almond eyes were looking up at me with the slightest glimmer in them. Her lips pursed ever so slightly and she blinked her long eyelashes.

"Yeah, I just wanted to introduce myself. I've heard a lot about you." She smiled.

I smiled back, "Well it's nice to meet you. And what's your name?"

"Maria."


End file.
